An error has occurred.

The Sigmund anniversary knife is a little bit more than the ordinary and it has quite a story to tell.

Designed by two generations of Helle men. Knife-blade designed by Sigmund Helle in the beginning of the 1930’s and its handle by his son Torodd in 2012. Representing 80 years of tradition.

The Sigmund knife is a classic all-purpose knife. Its beautiful handle made out of stacked pieces of wood mixed with leather spacers gives the knife personality and the triple laminated stainless steel blade will offer extraordinary sharpness. The Sigmund knifes comes with a genuine leather sheath out of the ordinary.

Maintenance

Helle knives are designed to retain their sharpness as a lifelong outdoors companion. But it is still important to take care of your knife and its sheath.

The Handle. Dry the handle with a soft cloth if wet and wax occasionally.

The Sheath. The leather needs to be impregnated occasionally with colourless impregnation agent (grease or wax) to keep supple. Dry the sheath carefully in room temperature if it becomes wet

The Blade. Wipe the blade with a soft cloth if wet and treat with grease occasionally.

Sharpening

Use a diamond tool or a wet stone for sharpening. Place the knife bevel flat to the sharpening tool and work the entire blade. Work one side until you can feel a slight burr on the opposite side. Switch side and repeat the procedure until you feel the burr on the first side. You have now established an edge.

Remove the burr by stroking the blade gently over the sharpening surface on both sides, as if cutting very thin slices. Keep the bevel flat towards the sharpener and move from side to side until the burr is gone.

If the blade is very dull or damaged, use a fine-grained grindstone and plenty of water and sharpen until you have a raw edge. Use much cooling liquid and never sharpen on a dry stone. A hot-ground edge looses its heat treatment and ruins the blade.

Once upon a time there was a small knife factory….

The Helle knife factory is located only a short distance from the small farm where Steinar and Sigmund Helle first started their fledgling knife business in 1932. This farm was where their father taught them the fine art of forging.

The first factory did not have electrical power and had to rely on rainwater to power the machinery. When the rain fell Steinar and Sigmund had to work fast – up to 36 hours at a time. Today’s Helle factory is situated in the village of Holmedal in western Norway. An area surrounded by the raw and rugged beauty of mountains and fjords.

An important milestone for the company was in the 1930’s when Steinar cycled 565 kilometres across the mountains from the west coast to Oslo (the capital of Norway) to sell his wares. He only cycled all the way back again once he had sold every last knife. That was the only way to get ahead during the Depression.

The Helle factory is located in an area where the outdoor lifestyle is ingrained into every day life. Hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing or a boat trip on the fjord are all part of that lifestyle. This is why we can say that our products are designed with inspiration from nature – that inspiration comes from the way we live.

Today automated production and vast batches are common for knife manufacturers around the world. We prefer to focus on quality, tradition and craftsmanship. The production of a Helle knife can take up to 45 manual steps. There are shortcuts to producing a knife, but there is only one Helle way.

The factory we work in today is great showcase – it might even be mistaken for a living museum. And this is how we intend to keep it.

Helle will always be focused on quality, tradition and craftsmanship. We will not yield on that promise.

If you are interested in knives and genuine craftmanship and happen to be in our part of Norway, you are certainly encouraged to visit our factory. We will be happy to give you a taste of our history.